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As saints of God we must keep in mind that the first century church
Leaders had an earlier model or foundation to build the New
testament church. This foundation or model was the Old Testament
model of the Church. The New Testament speaks of the rulers in the
church by the designations of Apostle, Prophets, Teachers, Pastors,
Evangelist, which were mostly
elders.
While
Overseers
and
shepherds
are different terms used, today they refer to the same office: that of the
elder.[1] Presbytery takes its name from the Greek word
presbuteros,
which means
elder.
Apostolic Presbytery upholds government of the
od have been ruled by elders since early times
ld Testament. When sent by God to deliver the
ptian bondage, Moses was told to "gather the
elders
of Israel together, and say to them, 'The Lord God of your fathers, the
God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me ....'"
(Exodus 3:16)
At the time of Moses, elders were both rulers and covenantal
representatives of the people
(Deut. 21:19; Exodus 24:1; Num. 11:16;
Lev. 4:15).
Elders were present in the time of the judges (1 Sam. 16:4),
the period of the kings (
1 Sam. 16:4; 2 Kings 19:2
), and the time of
captivity (
Ezek. 8:1; 14:1; 20:12
). Elders provided leadership in the
rebuilding of the temple after the return from captivity (Ezra 5:5, 9;
6:78, 14). Information on Jewish history during the intertestamental
period also bears witness to the rule of elders in the synagogues.[2]
At the time of Christ's advent, references are found to the "elders,"
"rulers," and "rulers of the synagogue"(
Matt. 15:2; Mark 7:3; Joh
;
7:26, 48; Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41; cf. Acts 18:8,17
). Although the J
leadership was quite corrupt at this time, it is important to note that
the Jews had not become so apostate as to allow the biblical office of
elder to fall into disuse. These scriptural references are important
because they establish a continuity of government within the church in
both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament and the gospels
provide crucial background information about the church government
erected by the apostles. The apostles did not create
2Ti_2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord
knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity.
CALLED OUT!
erected by the apostles. The apostles did not create something
radically new; they built upon the foundation of previous
biblical revelation. When the apostles described church
officers, their hearers recognized much of the governmental
framework which was found in the Old Testament. Therefore,
a Apostolic rule (rule by elders) is not simply New Testament
church government; it is
biblical
church government. The New
Testament contains abundant information on go
elders elevated to the five fold. The apostles deliver
significant directives on church polity. Since God has
established the rule of elders in the church, it is the duty of
members to submit to these officers: "Obey them that have
rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give account" (
Heb. 13:17
).
A primary emphasis of the New Testament is on the
qualifications of elders. It is insufficient to have men merely
appointed to assume the title of elders. They must be
qualified
to govern, as demonstrated in the scriptural criteria for
officers. Even this point is nothing new, for the Old Testament
required such rulers to be "wise men, and understanding, and
known among your tribes," "able men, such as fear God, men
of truth, hating covetousness" (
Deut. 1:13; Exodus 18:21
).
The apostle Paul delineates qualifications for elders in 1
Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. It should be remembered that
these requirements are the
essential
standards for men
considered for this office. Far too often, however, this list is
approached as though it contains only desirable qualities  or
suggestions which may be loosely applied to potential elders.
The implicit assumption is that men really cannot be expected
to possess such demanding characteristics. Yet the text is
clear: a man
"must
be" qualified (
1 Tim. 3:2
). The same word
is used when Jesus tells Nicodemus he
"must
be born again"
(
John 3:7
).The matter is not optional.
